Giggs comes to United’s rescue

With defeat staring in the face, Man United just about managed to wriggle out with an equaliser six minutes from the close. Kevin McCarra reports.

A ground like Celtic Park becomes a vessel brimming with emotion on Champions League nights. It flooded from the stands and very nearly drowned Manchester United. Ryan Giggs’ equaliser for the visitors, hugely deserved as it was, did not come until six minutes from the close.

The holders have in effect advanced to the knock-out stage of the competition. Only a defeat by Aalborg at Old Trafford by a margin of 4-0 or more can deny them. Sir Alex Ferguson’s satisfaction will nonetheless be limited.

He had wished to spare players for the Premier League match against Arsenal but the manager was left with no option but to introduce Wayne Rooney and then Dimitar Berbatov. The Bulgarian ought to have notched a winner with the last kick of the evening but he miscued.

A goal for him then would not have been undeserved but Celtic had given themselves over to this occasion so unflinchingly that it would be harsh to begrudge them a share of the spoils. While there are circumstances that could still propel Gordon Strachan’s team into the next phase of the Champions League, the realistic aim is for progress into the UEFA Cup.

United will not object to parting company with Celtic. They were on the brink of defeat here and had lost 1-0 to the Scottish champions two years ago. So great was the exasperation that Cristiano Ronaldo got involved in an altercation with Scott Brown. It was only when the Portuguese set himself apart as footballer that he ensured a point for United.

His 25-yarder was characteristic in its vigour and movement. The goalkeeper Artur Boruc blocked the effort but was unable to force it sufficiently wide. Ryan Giggs, a veteran whose professionalism is undiminished, followed up to head in the loose ball from a slight angle.

If there is any disquiet for United it lies in the fact that they have occasions when, for all the firepower, goals are elusive. A stalemate with Villarreal at Old Trafford, for example, was an exasperating start to Group E. Here Boruc was not beleaguered and it took Rooney to extend him fully with an attempt late in the game.

By then Berbatov had witnessed Shaun Maloney block his flick on the goalline after 57 minutes. Whatever the visitors lacked in incisiveness was at least compensated for in perseverance. If Ferguson broods over these proceedings it will be because of a dependence on Rooney and Berbatov that has not been eased fully by the squad system.

Celtic, to their credit, were more resilient than the United manager had anticipated. The centre-backs Stephen McManus and, particularly, Gary Caldwell had an indomitable air. The line-up showed, as well, that there was more than doggedness in their repertoire while taking the lead. That opener, in the 13th minute, was testimony to Celtic’s faith on these occasions that they can overcome the odds. Of their three senior forwards, only Scott McDonald was fit to take part, yet he put Celtic in front.

A Paul Hartley free-kick was half-cleared to Caldwell, who slid a composed pass to the Australian. McDonald then showed confidence to chip a wonderful finish over Ben Foster, who was making his European debut. Celtic were the last club to score in the Champions League this season but the long vigil ended sweetly.

For a while Celtic’s apprehension was limited to a concern that they will be fined for an intrusion on to the pitch of a fan who seemed, as Strachan observed, to be attempting some sort of protest, even if the cause in question was not apparent.

Celtic had proud statements of their own to make. At one end of the ground there was a banner bearing the message “We won it first”. Celtic, the champions of 1967, did beat United to the European Cup by a year but there was a poignancy to that boast. Two generations ago there was a rough equivalence between the clubs. It is no longer so. If Celtic hold any sort of edge on these occasions nowadays it can lie only in the aching significance these fixtures hold for them. That factor fed the side’s powers of endurance in 2006 when Strachan’s team endured against United for much of the night before flourishing spectacularly as Shunsuke Nakamura’s free-kick won the match.

United were bemused rather than traumatised to be behind once more. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic could both have scored with headers before the interval. There was, regardless of that, a steadiness to Celtic that must have pleased Strachan. Ferguson had no doubts that the task was becoming steep. While he could introduce almost £60m worth of talent in Rooney and Berbatov, Strachan had little option but to think of containment.

Ultimately, as so many have learned before, it is a formidable task to keep United at bay for an entire evening.